


Divide by Three and Conquer

by Lycaste



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Crack, Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Dysfunctional Relationships, Exhibitionism, Explicit Sexual Content, Facials, Group Sex, Handcuffs, Mech furniture, Oral Sex, Orders, Other, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Power Dynamics, Psychological Warfare, Seeker Trines, Spark Play, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Voyeurism, Wing Kink, diabolical use of glitter, ménage à trine, trying to discipline your three naughty seekers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 14:21:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10766007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lycaste/pseuds/Lycaste
Summary: After the latest prank by his elite Trine causes havoc amongst the Decepticons, Megatron finally loses his patience. But disciplining Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker as a group comes with its own risks. It would be far more effective to upset their power structure and throw them into disarray. With three uncooperative Seekers on his hands, Megatron decides to divide and conquer.





	Divide by Three and Conquer

**Author's Note:**

> [Littlemisssexkitty](http://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemisssexkitty) and I were lamenting the lack of MegaTrine, so I wrote this. She then kindly took the time to look it over for me. Thank you for the encouragement and the beta, [Littlemisssexkitty](http://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemisssexkitty)! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this ~~deep and meaningful tale of tender romance~~ shameless exercise in self-indulgence with the plot of a mediocre porno. Please note: I do not consider this to be a dark fic. That said, I'm still throwing the dub con tag on here. Proceed according to your own comfort level.

 

The datapad snapped in Megatron's hands.

He threw the pieces on his desk. This was becoming a problem. Another report from Soundwave regarding Gigatron's endless complaints and property destruction. More and more were coming in, each containing an overly detailed description of how Gigatron was stomping around the base and demanding retribution from Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker.

Having to read the reports was bad enough. Yet mere hours ago Gigatron himself had stormed into Megatron's office and demanded possession of the three Seekers for punishment. He’d pitched an absolute tirade, and hadn't left until Megatron had threatened to pound him into a pile of spare parts in front of the entire army.

Megatron could certainly understand the affront. Gigatron had been...shiny? Sparkly. His armor shimmered with tiny, reflective pieces of what appeared to be colored metal. He claimed he couldn't wash it off, and yet he left a trail of it wherever he went. The brilliant little fragments were currently littering the floor of Megatron's office, much to his immense irritation.

Despite Gigatron’s accusations, there was no real evidence that the Seekers had done this. Megatron had ordered Soundwave to discuss the matter with Starscream, but Soundwave reported that all attempts had been met with stone walling. (Megatron could imagine the reaction. A discordant shriek of, "You're bothering me with _this!?_ Wait until Megatron hears about how you're wasting my time, you soporific nuisance!")

The solution here would be obvious if the incident involved only Starscream. Simple violence, or the threat thereof, would wrap up the whole thing. Yet this included Skywarp and, to Megatron's surprise, Thundercracker. Disciplining the three of them as a group was new territory. Getting rough with one risked gaining the sympathy of the other two, thus bonding them together and bolstering Starscream's authority.

Megatron had considered interrogating them individually, but he didn't want them thinking that he was afraid to face all three at once. Normally he wouldn't be so cautious. He'd simply punish them as a Trine and be done with it. But Starscream had been extra antagonistic lately. He was up to something. Megatron knew it. Thus reinforcing sympathy for Starscream now would result in a bigger processor ache later.

It was all incredibly infuriating. He and Starscream could be spending the evening engaged in a rough but satisfying interface. Instead Megatron was mired in their Trine dynamic, something he never quite understood.

The chime on the office door rang, and Starscream's voice called out. "Megatron?"

"In here," said Megatron. He'd chosen to hold the meeting in his smaller office, hoping the enclosed space would instill a greater sense of claustrophobia and intimidation in them. He spent most of his time in here anyway. It was simple and unfettered, the way he preferred all his private spaces. A desk in the center, and a lightly padded berth set waist height into the wall. He'd been planning on fragging Starscream on that berth later. The thought of dealing with Seeker politics instead made him want to reassemble the datapad so he could snap it all over again.

The inner door whooshed open, and in sauntered Megatron's most deadly and agile fliers. Or Starscream sauntered. Thundercracker and Skywarp entered with more of a shuffle and downcast gaze. At least they had the decency to appear nervous. The way Starscream was standing tall and hiking up his wings, Megatron could tell he was ready to be defiant.

Uninterested in playing games, Megatron asked, "Do you know why you're here?"

"No," said Starscream. He shook his head and shrugged. The picture of innocence. Not a good start.

"You're here because of Gigatron." Megatron set his elbows on the desk and let his electromagnetic field flare out, revealing his fury. "And whatever you did to him."

"This again?" groaned Starscream. "I'll tell you what I told Soundwave. I don't know what that defective bolt licker is talking about. He has an issue with us. I don't know why."

Megatron balled his right hand into a fist, imagining it pummeling into Starscream. "Do you know what that substance on the floor is?"

Bending over, Starscream swiped a finger on the ground and examined it. "Looks like glitter." He flashed a devious smile to Megatron. "Have you been crafting in here? If you don't have enough to do, Megatron, I could find some work for you."

Fuel pump rate speeding up, a red haze settled over Megatron's vision. He was beginning to forget why he wanted to keep this encounter more nuanced. "Skywarp," he said sharply, "what did you three do to Gigatron?"

Skywarp's optics glowed. He clearly didn't expect Megatron to call on him. "We...well...we didn't. I mean, it wasn't like-"

In a fraction of a second, something passed between the three of them. It happened so fast that Megatron wasn't sure if he imagined it. There was a slight wing movement from Starscream, and then a tilt of the head from the other two. As if Starscream had made a course correction, and Thundercracker and Skywarp followed. Afterwards Skywarp stood up straighter. His optics dimmed to their normal illumination levels.

"Nothing," said Skywarp. "We didn't do anything to him."

Megatron was ready to break his entire desk in half and beat them with the pieces. "Thundercracker?"

Thundercracker, who Megatron had always considered the most reasonable of the three, merely shook his head. "Nothing, sir. Gigatron must be mistaken."

"How convenient. So none of you know anything?" Megatron's jaw clenched, and he ignored the warnings in his status queue regarding the force with which he was constricting his fist.

Starscream scoffed and folded his arms over his cockpit. "I know it's been a massive waste of my time, thanks to you. If you think we had something to do with this, then you're even more delusional than Gigatron."

Energon rushed through Megatron’s extremities. Such disrespect was unacceptable. Teeth gnashing, he rose to his feet and stalked around the desk.

"Hold on-" Starscream stepped back, although he was wise enough not to outright flee.

Megatron grabbed him roughly by the neck and hoisted him off the ground. He shook him, pleased at how Starscream’s sensitive internal components rattled. "Would it be a delusion if I beat the truth out of you?"

Skywarp winced. "Megatron. Don't."

A hand lay on Megatron's forearm. "That's not necessary, sir," said Thundercracker calmly. "Let's talk this out."

Thundercracker's ability to keep cool only infuriated Megatron further. He should crush all three of them for their insolence and instill the fear of MEGATRON into them. Coolant nearing a boil, he gripped Starscream's throat cabling tighter. _Tighter._

But then it happened again. Starscream tilted his head and flicked the wing closest to Thundercracker. There was a soft blip, like the sound preceding the opening of an inter-Decepticon radio channel. But nothing came through comms. Still sporting a deep frown, Thundercracker immediately released Megatron and stepped away.

Megatron stopped squeezing, trying to process what he had just sensed. Starscream had instructed Thundercracker to stand down at the expense of his own bodily harm. Why? Trying to spare Thundercracker the punishment that he was willing to accept? No. That couldn't be it. Starscream never put anyone's welfare over his own.

_It's a power play_ , thought Megatron suddenly. It was as he'd suspected. Starscream was backing him into a corner. Become too violent and Starscream would gain the solid empathy of his Trinemates. Yet if Megatron went too soft and released him, they'd all think him weak and assume that they could get away with anything in the future.

Through his cloud of anger, Megatron began to admire the architecture of Starscream's gamble. Sometimes fighting it out with his treacherous second-in-command was a physical battle, sometimes it was a mental one. Today Starscream was turning it into a battle of sacrifice, which meant that Megatron had to carefully consider his next move. Anything he did to bring the Seekers together now would cause trouble in the end. What he needed to do instead was split them apart. Only by dividing and conquering would he get the truth without elevating Starscream's status.

After all, how did one truly control Starscream? It wasn't to command obedience or inflict pain. To rule Starscream was to dominate his attention. Get him off-balance and focused outside himself. Turn his desires against him. Starscream was used to being in control, to being the one who received all of the attention. It was vanity. Megatron had to play on that vanity.

_Let's see how he takes to someone else being put in charge._ Megatron released Starscream, letting him drop unceremoniously to the ground. He turned to face Thundercracker and pitched his voice low. "Do you know what vexes me the most about our predicament?"

Thundercracker visibly swallowed. He attempted to stand up straighter, his electromagnetic field pulling close to his frame. "No, sir."

Megatron slowly and deliberately circled behind him. "What vexes me the most, is that I'm sure you tried to put a stop to whatever insanity they were involved in."

Thundercracker stared at some point on the wall. "I don't know what you mean, sir."

"I think you do. I think you knew it was a bad idea. You probably tried to talk them out of it, but you failed to prevent your team from taking action." Megatron bent to murmur in his audial. "You disappoint me, Thundercracker."

Every joint in Thundercracker's body locked. He tensed, no doubt waiting for the subsequent beating.

But it never came. Megatron didn’t touch him. "You're logical but ineffectual. Strong in spirit but wavering in conviction. What you need is a lesson in leadership." He was silent for a moment, letting the suspense build. Yes, this was perfect. Starscream was going to hate this. "I hereby promote you to Trine leader."

Starscream scrambled to his feet, making a strangled, offended noise. "That's not how it works, Mighty Megaidiot."

Megatron let it go. Daring but cheap insults were a sign that he was on the right track. "You now report to Thundercracker."

"If you ever bothered to educate yourself about anything, you'd know that Trine leaders are decided internally,” said Starscream. He was trying to stay in control, but his shoulder cannons emitted a whine. The indication that they were coming online into standby mode. “You can't do that."

"I can and I did," said Megatron blandly. He placed an arm across Thundercracker's back and steered him towards the desk. "Now, our first lesson involves discipline and reward. Open the bottom drawer and remove what's inside."

Thundercracker bent and opened the drawer. He froze when he saw the contents.

"Pick it up!" boomed Megatron.

His voice landed with the finality of a gavel. Startled, Thundercracker snatched the item and stood. It was a set of handcuffs, the typical blocky restraint style for mechs with two arms. They'd seen a lot of use over the years, mainly around Starscream's wrists.

"Those are for you to use." Megatron gestured to Skywarp and Starscream. "You're going to choose. Discipline one, reward the other. Cuff the mech you wish to punish. Hands behind his back."

"I..." Thundercracker grasped the cuffs tightly, his face stricken. He obviously didn't want the same levels of responsibility and power that Starscream so coveted.

"Thundercracker," said Megatron gently. "I'm growing impatient."

Thundercracker was no doubt well aware that when Megatron grew impatient, mechs tended to lose limbs. He immediately moved towards Skywarp and Starscream. A look passed between the three of them, and then Starscream smirked at Megatron. He pressed his wrists together and held out his hands towards Thundercracker.

Megatron’s circuits sizzled. Whatever private communication they possessed, they had just used it again. Right in front of him. This wasn't Starscream gallantly taking one for the team, this was him having the arrogance to keep calling the shots. To prove that he didn't need brute strength to be in control. He could do it bound and grinning.

Thundercracker cuffed one wrist, and then stepped behind Starscream to cuff the other one. Starscream let him do it without argument. He stared at Megatron with a bored expression that seemed to say _what now?_

_The audacity!_ Starscream wanted to push? Fine. Megatron pointed towards the berth. "Take them over there."

Starscream sashayed past Megatron with a roll of his hips. "I know the way."

Megatron grabbed him and shoved him towards Thundercracker. "He takes you, and you two obey him. Or I'll have three sets of wings adorning my walls."

Thundercracker hastily took each of them by the arm and directed them to the edge of the berth. When they arrived, he threw a questioning glance towards Megatron.

Megatron followed, dragging his desk chair behind him. He set it next to Thundercracker and sat down. "Put Starscream on his knees in front of me. Then place Skywarp on the berth."

With steady hands, Thundercracker guided Starscream down to his knees in front of Megatron. He then helped Skywarp hop onto the berth. "With all due respect, Lord Megatron, sir, where’s this going?"

Megatron took a moment to admire the scene. Thundercracker hesitant but daring to show some boldness. Skywarp sitting tense and suspicious. Starscream kneeling at his feet (as it should be). The ideal setup to keep them all guessing. "Of the three of you, it's evident that Skywarp is the most loyal. He deserves a reward, Trine leader."

"Skywarp!?" cried Starscream. "He's the biggest troublemaker of all of us!"

"Do be quiet, Starscream," said Megatron absently, as though Starscream were a mere distraction from the main event. He raised one giant leg and set it across Starscream's back, wedging it between his right shoulder and left wing. Shifting slightly, Megatron then lifted his other leg and crossed it over the first.

Starscream's upper back and wings were the perfect shape to hold Megatron's legs. He sneered, clearly offended at the concept of being used as a footstool. He was forced to bend forward to take some of the weight off of the top joints of his wings. Megatron's legs were not light.

Thundercracker was standing in an at ease position, although Megatron suspected he was wringing his hands behind his back. "How shall I reward him, sir?"

Megatron smiled, letting all his sadistic glee show on his face. "Touch him."

"Wha-what?" Thundercracker's optics practically went white and his orbital ridges climbed up his forehead. His engines stuttered in time with his words. To his credit, he didn't attempt to pat Skywarp platonically or pretend he didn't understand. He knew exactly what Megatron wanted.

"Touch. Him. Either we focus the lesson on you rewarding Skywarp, or we focus on you punishing Starscream." Megatron left the implication unspoken. _I'll make you hurt him._

Despite his aloofness, the weak spot in Thundercracker's armor had always been his concern for his Trine. He nodded tersely, and climbed onto the berth behind Skywarp. Soon his agile fingers were sweeping long, delicate arcs across Skywarp's wings. His movements made a soft brushing sound. Metal skimmed living metal, awakening sensors that made Skywarp shiver and gasp. He turned his head and gave Thundercracker a _look_.

It was the same coy gaze that Megatron had seen on Starscream's face many times. "Good," he grunted. "Very good."

Thundercracker's fondling adopted a repeating pattern. He would bring his hands to the middle of Skywarp's back, and then draw them up and out, as though he could manually manipulate the flow of Skywarp's electromagnetic field. When he reached the top, he'd squeeze and drag his hands apart, drawing his digits down the edge of each appendage.

Whatever he was doing was having an effect. Skywarp's turbines spun in time with the motions. His wings lifted to chase Thundercracker's hands every time he pulled them away. The circular pattern had Skywarp biting his lip, stifling noises that came out as soft sighs.

After a few minutes of this, Thundercracker placed his hands on Skywarp's waist. Two little arcs of electricity sparked where he made contact. They traveled up his cockpit and dissipated at his chest. Skywarp's mouth fell wordlessly open. He swayed on his knees, but Thundercracker put an arm around his waist and held him. With his free hand, he massaged the spot on the top of Skywarp's cockpit where metal met glass.

_He’s manipulating his energy field_ , Megatron realized. _How is he doing that?_ Were they so profoundly connected that Thundercracker could direct the flow of energy with a specific touch pattern? If so, why would he reveal something so personal so readily? Maybe he didn't know it was unusual. The three of them rarely socialized outside of each other, how would they know how other frame types touched? Regardless, this was a trick that Megatron was going to have to remember to investigate.

Thundercracker broke the massage and drew his hand up the cabling of Skywarp's neck. Skywarp groaned and leaned back. He let his weight sink against Thundercracker, turbines humming happily.

There was an undignified whimper from the floor. Starscream was staring up at Megatron, his lower lip trembling and optics shining bright. His hands were balled into fists. He seemed on the verge of trying to stand, driven by either indignation or disappointment.

“So predictable, Starscream,” said Megatron. "You can't stand to be left out."

The comment earned a snicker from Skywarp. He grinned at Megatron, fearless and cheeky, and grasped at Thundercracker to pull him into a kiss.

A fierce craving filled Megatron's circuits, and he became very aware of the requests from his interface array climbing his status queue. The two of them were so enticing together. Hands on each other's faces. Kissing deeply. A jumble of lovely wings and sleek frames. It was like watching Starscream kiss himself in blue and purple. Something Megatron wouldn't have thought arousing, but the pulsing in his spark said otherwise.

Eventually Thundercracker pulled away from the kiss. The uncertain, questioning look was back on his face. It was a far contrast to Skywarp, who beamed at Megatron with not-so-innocent satisfaction.

Perhaps Starscream was right about who was the biggest troublemaker. But then again, Megatron always knew that Skywarp was mischief incarnate. "Place your hand in the middle of his cockpit."

Keeping his optics on Megatron, Thundercracker put his hand into position. Skywarp’s cockpit glass fogged under his touch.

"Move it lower," said Megatron. "Slowly."

At least one of these Pit-forsaken scamps could follow orders. Thundercracker trailed his hand downwards. Taking his time. Letting the charge gather under his fingers.

Megatron leaned forward, hungrily watching the hand inch towards its intended destination. "Lower. Keep it there."

When Thundercracker's fingertips were grazing the juncture between his legs, Skywarp arched up for another kiss.

"No," barked Megatron. "You do not touch him. He touches you.” Inside, his fuel tank churned and his capacitors burned hotter. This was working better than he'd hoped. Thundercracker was rising to the occasion quite well, and Starscream was buckling. At this point, Megatron planned on pushing all three of them as far as possible. "Now, anticipate my next instruction."

Emboldened, Thundercracker tapped twice on Skywarp's panel. His face was more serious than ever, engines growling at their unique frequency. Thundercracker’s system’s produced a sound that one felt in their chest, rather than heard in their audials.

Skywarp didn't need to be told twice. His panel transformed away and, without any prompting or hint of embarrassment, he extended his spike. It was similar in size and shape to Starscream's, only the neatly structured plating was onyx and the accents were neon lavender. The biolights on the underside flickered in a rapid pattern that belied his excitement.

Where Megatron was entranced, Starscream was mortally offended. He picked up one knee and lunged it forward in an awkward attempt to stand. "This is an outrage! This is _totally_ inappropriate!" Yet the weight from Megatron's legs, and the force from Megatron's hand on his helm, shoved him back down. He banged his knee on the ground with a clang, the momentum bending him further forward. "I can't see from down here," he whined.

Megatron scoffed. "Ah, thus we've discovered your real complaint. Thundercracker, tell Starscream what he needs to do to earn this type of reward."

"Stay down on your knees and keep your mouth shut," said Thundercracker. He was enjoying this. He'd probably waited millennia to say those very words to Starscream.

"I think we'd all appreciate that," said Megatron, savoring how Starscream shook with anger beneath his feet. "Thundercracker, take Skywarp’s spike in your hand and pump it."

Lips grazing Skywarp's helm, fans audibly straining, Thundercracker wrapped his fingers around his Trinemate's spike. One by one he curled his agile digits, encircling Skywarp until the other Seeker was trembling.

He then started moving his hand, touching Skywarp with a firm grip but an erratic rhythm. Working him expertly, lulling him with a minute of steady pressure before throwing him off with a looser hold or twist at the head. A mixture of fast and slow, contraction and expansion. Thundercracker was apparently quite well versed in the art of teasing.

Skywarp hissed and lolled his head. His unselfconscious enjoyment was so attractive. He wasn't embarrassed to be put on display. To be jacked off in front of their leader. He seemed to relish putting on a show, even going so far as to shutter an optic in a wink at Megatron.

Truly, the scene was having an effect on all of them. Messages from his interface array dominated Megatron's HUD. His throat cabling tightened, constricting him from his neck to the back of his chest. There was a prickle in the sensors of his hands, as if they were itching to fondle all those boxy lines and polished curves.

On the floor, Starscream’s strength was giving out. Every few seconds he dipped down lower, the scent of ozone and burning coolant wafting from him. The combination of arousal and effort must have been excruciating. His desire was keeping him upright and trying to watch, while the weight of Megatron's legs reminded him that submission was inevitable.

And Megatron was a mech determined to be an agent of the inevitable. "Harder," he said. "Take him to the edge."

Thundercracker pumped Skywarp harder. Faster. Long steady strokes punctuated with swipes of his thumb. He replaced teasing with tenaciousness, handling Skywarp until his entire body was shaking. Beneath Megatron's heels, Starscream was trembling too. Funny how reward and punishment sometimes looked exactly the same.

When Skywarp's hitching engines reached a high-pitched squeal, Megatron boomed out, "Stop."

"But…” Skywarp’s faceplates were drawn into a desperate pinch. The tip of his spike was wet, his body ready for the massive release that was _so close_. "Oooh, Megatron," he pleaded. “Can I overload? Pleeeease?"

Megatron didn't want them to know what they were doing to him. He tried to keep his voice and posture casual, but any mech half alive could feel how his core temperature was incinerating the entire room. "Don't ask me. Ask him."

"TC," pleaded Skywarp. "I...I need...please?"

That was more use of the word _please_ by a Seeker than Megatron had ever heard. He gestured to Thundercracker. "Well, Trine leader?"

Without an answer, Thundercracker’s hand went back to work. He relentlessly pumped, stroking and squeezing and rubbing overcharged sensors until Skywarp was a writhing mess in his arms. And then, with a twist of his wrist, Skywarp exploded. He leaned his head on Thundercracker's shoulder and sobbed a ragged moan. A haze of strange, purple electricity, the likes of which Megatron had never seen before, crackled around his frame. Hot spurts of transfluid pulsed from his spike. Most of it messed Thundercracker's hand and the edge of the berth. Some of it shot further, splattering onto the tip of Starscream’s wing.

The sizzle of Skywarp’s fluid on his hot plating was Starscream's undoing. He whimpered and collapsed, pressing his forehead into the floor. His aft in the air. Hands bound behind him. Megatron's leg's pinned to the back of his neck.

Thundercracker, however, was in total control. He took Skywarp to the end, and then gentled him through the last sweet shudders as wisps of steam arose from Skywarp’s frame. Finally they sagged against each other. One supporting, the other spent.

A rumble, pleased yet far from satisfied, left Megatron's lips. _This_ was more like it. The three of them thrown off course. Starscream vulnerable, Skywarp exposed, and Thundercracker unsettled. All of them bending to his will. Their previous attempts at rebellion squashed and forgotten. The only way he'd allow them to come together now would be through mutual capitulation.

Yet if previous experience had taught him anything, it was that Seekers never stayed off-balance for very long.

"Very good, Thundercracker." Megatron generously doled out the praise that he'd often denied Starscream. "You seized your power with razor-sharp judgment and strength. Now, do to him whatever you normally do after an overload."

Thundercracker began touching Skywarp's wings again. The pattern was different this time. Instead of sweeping arcs, he moved his hands in smaller circular motions. Back and forth. Up and down. His touch light and deliberate. It wasn't overly emotional, but there seemed to be a comforting intimacy to it.

Not for the first time, Megatron wondered about their social structure. There was an unspoken framework within which they interacted, yet each were distinct individuals. Were their actions the products of their alt modes, or had they freely developed a culture of movement to match the frames they had been given? He chose to believe the latter. Watching Thundercracker infuse his own firm yet fair personality into this post-overload ritual, Megatron was more confident than ever in the power of self-determination.

The most self-determined mech ever constructed huffed from beneath his feet. "Megatroooon," said Starscream. He turned his head and pressed his other cheek to the floor, facing Megatron with a sad pout on his faceplates.

Megatron mimicked his expression. That was the cue. Any fight from Starscream now would be purely academic. It was time to push this game to its conclusion. He motioned to Skywarp and addressed Thundercracker. "Can he overload from his valve after that?"

"Yes."

"How soon?"

"Right away. He can overload from anywhere no matter what." A wry grin flitted across Thundercracker's face. "Because life isn't fair."

"Ha! No it isn't. And you know what we do when life isn't fair? We fight back." Megatron stomped his feet on the floor and grabbed Starscream by the arm. He then shoved him towards the others. "On the berth. All three of you."

Thundercracker caught a stumbling Starscream and helped him onto the berth. Skywarp maneuvered next to him, and the three of them sat rapt on their knees. Three handsome faces studying Megatron with just the right amount of arousal, expectation, and wariness.

Megatron made a show of relaxing into his chair and propping his head on his fist. He retracted the panel between his legs. As slowly as his programming allowed, he extended his spike. It grew, segment by segment, until it stood thick and proud before three sets of riveted optics. He squeezed himself and grunted, the short burst of pressure a welcome relief for his touch-starved sensors.

"Oh," whispered Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Starscream in unison.

There was a progression of events that worked best when fragging Starscream. Megatron could only assume that it would work with the other two as well. He'd take them down a path of flattery, suspense, and command. Keep Thundercracker somewhat dominant but focus their fixation on their true leader. By the end of this, they'd be begging him not to stop.

"You three," said Megatron, "are too damn sexy."

Their response was a flurry of bright smiles and affirming nods. They crowded closer together and posed, Skywarp and Starscream leaning on either side of Thundercracker. "Tell us something we don't know," said Starscream.

The thought of fragging all three of them made Megatron’s fuel pump thunder and his mouth go dry. "Thundercracker, instruct Skywarp. I want the two of you to get Starscream ready for me. But do not allow him to overload."

Thundercracker floundered for a second, looking blankly between the other two. But then he shuffled behind Starscream and sat cross-legged. He pulled Starscream down and back, cradling his head on his thigh and preventing him from putting his full weight on his cuffed arms. Before they completely settled, he angled Starscream to give Megatron a better view, and then pushed his legs apart.

Megatron was treated to a brief glimpse of Starscream's lovely little valve before Thundercracker pushed Skywarp’s head downwards. Skywarp took to the task eagerly. He dove between Starscream's legs, licking a wide swath up the center of Starscream's valve before following it up with a (far too tender, in Megatron's opinion) kiss.

Starscream gasped and arched. His spike extended, the plating a crisp red and white design that Megatron had seen many times before.

"That's it." Thundercracker placed a hand on Skywarp's helm. "Slow. Tease him."

Skywarp employed more care than Megatron had ever seen him use, caressing and suckling at the sensor-laden metal and mesh. Starscream was wonderfully responsive as always. He whimpered and sighed, his fans whirring loud enough to hear while he canted his hips in small circles. Thundercracker reached for him, murmuring quietly against his helm. In the midst of their synchronized gentleness, he then _squeezed_ Starscream's spike. Three magnetic fields flared together, and the three of them groaned as one.

An overwhelming desire flared in Megatron's valve and coiled up his body and around his spark. His frame felt too small to house the sheer power of his lust. To see the three of them together. Lost in each other. Thundercracker and Skywarp's hands everywhere. Starscream restrained and at their mercy. Something like this had always been a fantasy, but Megatron hadn't expected it to be quite this arousing. The only thing more arousing would be to conquer the scene itself. Crush it down. Be the master of their pleasure.

"Stop," barked Megatron. "Nobody move."

The three Seekers froze.

He released himself and stood, smothering a chuckle into a frown. They were staring at him with a mixture of intrigue and suspicion as their optics traveled from his face to his massive spike. He approached the berth, letting his footsteps fall heavy and ominous.

"You're gonna get involved? It's about time." Starscream spoke the words with a wriggle of his hips, but his frame displayed a need far less playful. The flexible, delicate outline of his valve shone with lubricant, and the biolights on the underside of his spike blinked in quick succession.

"I'm afraid your hour of patience is far from over, Starscream." Megatron pushed Thundercracker onto his back and pointed between his legs. He then pulled Skywarp into position, settling him on his elbow and knee joints, his aft in the air.

Skywarp apparently went to the Starscream School of Shyness. Without prompting, he transformed his lower panel to expose the rest of his array. His valve was pretty, a darker mesh interspersed with purple sensor nodes.

Thundercracker was slower to respond. He threw a prudent glance towards Starscream but quickly covered it up, as if remembering that he was supposed to be the one in control. Megatron was about to scold him, but let it go when Thundercracker pressurized his spike. It was shaped like Starscream’s. The only difference was the blue and white accents.

Megatron ground his teeth. He'd never seen mechs who matched their paint, light, and interface array colors as precisely as Starscream's Trine. He was tempted to frag them one by one while the others watched, but that lacked the power of having them submit to him as a group. "You're going to overload in order of how I've ranked you today," he said. "First Thundercracker, then Skywarp, and then maybe Starscream. If it pleases me."

"Promises, promises," grumbled Starscream. "Are you gonna frag or filibuster?!"

"Shut up." Megatron roughly grabbed Starscream's throat, squeezing in warning. "Skywarp, I want you to bring off Thundercracker with your mouth. But keep yourself on your elbows and knees. Neither you nor Starscream are allowed to come before he does."

"Awww come on. He takes longer to get off than you do," whined Starscream.

"Then you'd better show some self-control for a change," snapped Megatron.

Skywarp obeyed at once. He hooked his forearms under Thundercracker's legs and nuzzled his spike. A look passed between them of what Megatron assumed was confirmation, and then Skywarp swallowed the head and sucked. Thundercracker hissed, his engine stuttering. He'd been fairly reserved, but with Skywarp's mouth and tongue worshipping him, he betrayed a level of outward arousal more in synch with the wild shifts in his EM field.

Lifting Starscream's chin, Megatron said, "Your turn."

Starscream shuffled to kneel behind Skywarp, eyeing the angle of his hips. Lifting his cuffed hands behind his back, he said, "You're gonna have to either take these off or give me a hand."

"I'll do more than that." Megatron took hold of Starscream’s spike, guiding him towards Skywarp’s eager, quivering frame.

Skywarp tensed as Megatron brought them together, and then he relaxed. He nudged his hips backwards and forwards, aiding Starscream inside.

Megatron brushed his cheek to Starscream's. "Is that good?"

"Y-yes." Starscream arched his back, entering Skywarp with small motions of his hips and Megatron’s assistance. "Don't let me go."

"Rest assured,” said Megatron. "I'm never letting you go. I'll even do all the work." He added a mental _as usual_ but didn't bother to verbalize it. They could exchange petty taunts later. Now was the time to claim all three of them. He placed a hand on Starscream’s cockpit, holding his full weight and bending him forward just slightly. From this angle, Megatron could enter him by standing on the floor behind him.

Starscream was waiting for it too. He kept peering over his shoulder at Megatron. "Well?"

Megatron wanted to lecture him on patience, but he couldn't wait much longer himself. He was aching to pound Starscream and make him live up to his name. Taking hold of his spike, he brought the tip to the perfect petals of Starscream's valve.

Starscream was wet and ready for him, and sinking inside was an exercise in extreme self-control. Megatron was enveloped by the delicious hot squeeze and a bright burst of sensation so blinding that he had to manually reset his cooling systems to their highest level.

The three of them squirmed and whimpered below him. Their fields blended and synchronized together into a blanket of current. Thundercracker had one hand shakily petting Skywarp's helm. Starscream was trembling all over.

And then Megatron thrust. Just once. Hard.

The three of them groaned. Three voices combining into one sensual sound of exposed, wanton desire.

The sound went straight to Megatron's spark. They were his to torture. His to tantalize. Seated deep inside Starscream, he could command them all with a snap of his hips.

It was awkward at first, gauging his movements to synch up among four mechs. Megatron began slowly, establishing a teasing rhythm of in-out-hold that brought their charges up and down, sending all their sensors into a dizzying spin that was both pleasurable and frustrating. Soon he’d worked out a pace that had Starscream thrusting into Skywarp, and Skywarp gasping around Thundercracker’s spike.

The best part was Starscream. Helpless, bound, and lacking leverage, he was completely at Megatron's mercy. As predicted, he started running his mouth. "Frag me, Megatron. Don't stop. Oh... _yes_...Megatron yes..."

"Dammit, Starscream," growled Megatron. He sharply bit back his next words. _You feel so good._ No, he couldn't show any affection for Starscream. Anything less than utter domination would only undermine his authority in the end. But his head was spinning. The surge of power behind his chest was dizzying. "Look at the three of you," he said. "Isn't obeying my commands together better than your usual squabbling?"

Starscream's hands grasped uselessly in the cuffs. His lubricant was all over Megatron's pelvic span. Squirming in Megatron's hold, he tried to force himself backwards. "Harder," he demanded. "Come on, Megatron. Harder and faster."

"It's not your turn yet." Megatron's voice sounded more desperate than he wanted. It was becoming difficult to think. He eyed Thundercracker. Their ersatz Trine leader had one hand on Skywarp's helm and one thrown over his own optics. His knees were trembling, vents cycling air loudly. He looked close.

Not as close as Skywarp though. Propped up weakly on one forearm, he was using the other hand to awkwardly jerk off Thundercracker. The skillful blowjob had declined into him lapping at the head of his Trinemate's spike. His whole body was shaking. Engines stuttering. The air around him intermittently crackling.

"Hurry the hell up, Thundercracker," snapped Starscream.

Megatron yanked his head back. "Silence! It's impossible for anyone to overload with your screeching pressure."

There was a pop and a snapping noise. Skywarp collapsed face first into Thundercracker's crotch. Smoke curled from the seams on his back. He convulsed with a cry, his afterburners glowing.

He must have tightened around Starscream, who gasped and tried to thrust his hips forward.

Megatron released Starscream's head and grabbed at his wingtip, nearly crushing flight sensors as he bent the delicate metal between his fingers. The jolt of pain would hopefully be enough to prevent Starscream from overloading as well. "Don't," he warned. "Don't you dare."

Beneath them, Skywarp's frame shook. Loud, high-pitched wails left his mouth. He clutched at Thundercracker's legs as jolts of lightning popped and traveled down his spinal strut. Finally his strength left him. He slid off Starscream, pooling like a puddle of melted metal between all of them.

Despite the unexpected appeal of Skywarp's overload, the spell of the moment shattered with a tangible tension. Thundercracker sat up and put a protective arm over Skywarp's back. "It's my fault. I took too long. I...I just can't as fast as he can."

Megatron raised an optic ridge. "Life isn't fair."

"No." Thundercracker shook his head. "No it isn't."

Skywarp rolled onto his back and into Thundercracker's arms. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Lord Megatron. You're all just so hot." He shrugged. His normal troublemaking smirk reasserted itself. "I couldn't help it."

"You're the Trine leader, Thundercracker,” said Megatron. "Do you think he should be punished?"

"No," said Thundercracker quickly. "If we punished him every time he overloaded first, we wouldn't have a Trine."

Starscream burst into a gale of shrieking laughter. "That's the truth!" He then spoke in his sultry voice, which was a slightly less abrasive version of his normal voice. "Uncuff me. I can get him off. Stop tormenting us and end the lesson."

"And why would I want to do that?" asked Megatron.

"Because we can't wait to get to the part where _you_ overload,” purred Starscream.

While he would be loath to admit it out loud, Megatron had always admired Starscream's boldness. His brash daring had propelled him through the Decepticon ranks, drawing other mechs to him with the gravity of his lethal charm. It was a force that was always in play, even when one didn't realize it.

Megatron only realized it as he was hastily breaking the cuffs in half. He forced his hands to steady and his most intimidating frown to appear. All right. Fine. He'd release Starscream, but on his own terms and only because he wanted to. Not because of any spark-stoppingly sexy ideas coming out his favorite rival's mouth.

He snapped the rings around each of Starscream's wrists like they were made of glass. With his hands free, Starscream fell onto all fours, still filled with Megatron's spike. They both shuddered.

Megatron beckoned Thundercracker closer, and then motioned to Skywarp. "Make yourself useful."

Thundercracker knelt in front of them, sighing heavily when Starscream took him into his mouth. Next to them, Skywarp turned over and crawled across the berth. Yet rather than touching either of his Trinemates, he sidled up to Megatron. He rose to his knees and ran an exploratory hand up Megatron's front. The magnetic field around him prickled and needled. Excited and curious.

It was, Megatron recognized, the only opportunity that Skywarp ever had to really touch him. Of course he'd want to capitalize on it. To feel his powerful and commanding leader. Just this once, Megatron would allow it. He pinched the edge of Skywarp's wing, reveling in the way that it made him shiver.

Starscream was still on his hands and knees. He kept one arm locked straight, and then danced his other hand up Thundercracker's cockpit and tapped at the top of the glass.

With that, Thundercracker's entire demeanor changed. His strict expression crumbled into uncertainty, gaze darting from Megatron to Starscream. Never one to be kept waiting, Starscream huffed and rapped at the glass with his knuckles. He muttered something impatiently around Thundercracker's spike.

Thundercracker slid a final mistrusting look towards Megatron, but slid back the glass. The plating of his cockpit began to shift and transform. Rays of light materialized. First a sliver, then glimmering swaths that grew broader as the plates pulled away.

_Is he…_ Megatron executed a soft reboot of his vision. Was Thundercracker really going to expose himself like this? Become physically and emotionally vulnerable in front of the rest of them, all at Starscream's simple command?

But he was. The rest of his plating pulled away, exposing the entirety of his brilliant spark. It whirled and pulsed in his chest. The focal point of the room. In the battle of sacrifice, the ultimate gesture.

Megatron shook his head. He couldn't believe it. If he wanted to, he could lean forward and tear Thundercracker's spark out of his chest. Crush it in his hand. It made no sense. Why would such a guarded, stoic mech do something like this so readily?

On the heels of the question came the answer. _This is Starscream's power. Even on his knees, he has others doing his bidding. This is Starscream's power, and he's letting you know it._

Continuing to deep throat Thundercracker, Starscream traced the outline of the spark with nimble fingers, articulating every joint in his hand. Eddies of energy followed his digits like whirlpools. Curling and twisting. Blurring the clear boundaries between electricity and metal, between excitement and danger. Starscream could manipulate Thundercracker's pleasure-pain horizon like it was his own. Thundercracker's vents were heaving. He shook on his knees. Condensation beaded on his frame, making him shine and gleam.

Suddenly, Skywarp leaned over Starscream and threw his arms around Megatron's shoulders. He pressed his mouth to Megatron’s in a forceful kiss, lightly nibbling on Megatron's lower lip.

Megatron barely noticed, too entranced with the sight of Thundercracker’s compliance as Starscream played the most intimate parts of him. He'd never seen anything like this. The casual understanding. The trust. A part of him labeled it distasteful and weak, and yet he had no desire to order them to stop. They were all the disheveled beauty of a poem come to life. He could only watch, interested about the conclusion.

"Oh _frag_ , Starscream." Thundercracker's spark visibly swelled, the gathering of charge before release. He hung his head, face desperate, and placed both hands on Starscream's helm for balance. With a strangled cry, he succumbed to overload. The orb in his chest burst. A net of lightning raced across his body. He thrust his hips into Starscream's face as sparks shot from the afterburners in his heels. He stayed like that, suspended. Optics shuttering. Frame shaking. His voice dropped into a long, urgent moan.

It went on for a while, but eventually the spasms of his spark smoothed out and his wings drooped down his back. He withdrew from Starscream and collapsed onto his side. His chest plates immediately shifted to close. To once again hide what had been so freely revealed.

Skywarp left Megatron's side to shield Thundercracker from view as he made himself decent. "That was amazing, TC," he said.

With the light from Thundercracker's spark gone, the room grew dim. Megatron let his vision readjust as he tried to process what had transpired. Skywarp’s bold kiss now seemed less like curiosity and more like something calculated. A possible failsafe layer of distraction and protection.

And Starscream. He was still on all fours, spike still pressurized. Still wet and ready. Yet he had changed the tone of everything. Altered the power dynamics in the room. Or maybe he hadn't. The shift was subtle, like the brush of an EM field that wasn't there. Was it real or imagined? Justified or paranoid?

"Are you composing a novel back there?" asked Starscream. "Can we do this already?"

A surge of irritation snapped Megatron out of his ruminating. This was _his_ lesson, and he'd allowed Starscream far too much power already. He needed to remind his underhanded second-in-command who was the Decepticon leader here. He clamped the back of Starscream's head and shoved his face into the berth. "With pleasure."

The action raised Starscream's hips, causing Megatron to sink in deeper. He bit back a groan as a shiver raced through his frame. Without giving him time to adjust, Megatron hooked his other hand around Starscream's hip and thrust, hard and powerful.

Starscream gasped. Skywarp and Thundercracker gasped with him.

There was no buildup, no gradual quickening of speed. Megatron was relentless. He fragged Starscream into the berth with vigorous snaps of his hips and a sturdy grip to the neck. Manually amping up his electromagnetic output to oppressive levels, he smothered Starscream with unconstrained power.

True to form, Starscream took everything given to him. He whimpered and cried out, engines screaming as he struggled to meet Megatron thrust for thrust. His hands clawed at the berth padding, every sweet sensor in his array nearing peak charge. Soon he was sobbing Megatron's name like a prayer. "Megatron. Megatron. _Yes._ Don't stop...Megatron..."

Coolant reserves falling, Megatron's overtaxed fans struggled to dispel the heat from his frame. He was absorbed in the always-alluring image of Starscream losing himself in the act. Wriggling and moaning. Thrusters heating red. Stuffed full and sensors throbbing.

The first rapid flutter of Starscream's valve sent a thrill racing through Megatron’s circuits. He immediately slowed. Unrestrained fragging would take them both to completion, but that wasn’t good enough. He needed Starscream to yield to him body and spark, to surrender in the face of a shattering overload. To show Skywarp and Thundercracker that their Trine leader was under the thrall of one mech.

And thus were they all.

Megatron clenched the back of Starscream's neck strong enough to dent, the pressure a sharp contrast to the torturous, leisurely tempo of his fragging. "Relax," he murmured. He released Starscream's hip and threaded the arm around his waist, curling his fingers around Starscream's neglected spike. "Relax, Starscream."

He'd been doing this more and more lately, bringing Starscream to the edge of a valve overload only to back off and catch him up by spike. Playing him like an instrument. Confusing his sensors until his entire interface array was a digital mess of needy crossed signals. It was euphoric, true, but it was also torment. The torrent of input information carried a risk of malfunction. One could be thrown into shutdown if left in the state for too long.

But Starscream let him do it, because he was a mech who liked to fly close to the edge. And Megatron indulged him, because seeing Starscream surrender and fracture so beautifully got them both off harder than anything.

Starscream's servos hissed. His fingers clenched. He managed to maneuver his head and set it down to the side, staring up at Megatron with glowing optics. Vents panting. Face desperate. _"Megatron."_

Megatron slowed further. Their sensors ground against each other, sending a shock of bliss through them both. He struggled to keep his face stern and his vents even. He pumped Starscream in his mighty fist, trying to find the combination of speed and pressure that would bring all components of Starscream's interfacing system into overwhelming synchronization.

The image of Thundercracker fondling Skywarp came to him. _How did they touch each other?_ They did it quick and light. With that in mind, Megatron loosened his hand and sped up, touching Starscream like a Seeker would.

Starscream tensed. In front of them, Skywarp was staring with shining optics. Thundercracker was absently patting Skywarp’s helm, taking in the scene with a frightful level of calm intensity.

If to dominate Starscream was to dominate his attention, then Megatron now owned Thundercracker and Skywarp as well.

"Relax," repeated Megatron. "Surrender to me." He introduced a regular rhythm, two pumps of his hand for every one thrust of his hips.

A small trail of fluid ran down Starscream's leg. He shook, still trying to let go of whatever it was preventing him from releasing all tension. Fear? Doubtful. Pride? Perhaps. Most likely it was the entire tangle of conflicting psychological factors that made Starscream both seek out and avoid this.

But Megatron was master of his body, and the unyielding onslaught of _tension_ -relax- _tension_ -relax would bring Starscream to a climax that would have him weeping his loyalty to Megatron for the entire universe to hear. "Feel my hand on your neck?" he asked. "You can't move. You can’t fight. Release yourself, Starscream. Let me pull you under."

Starscream's optics dulled. His mouth worked quietly, all praise and begging reduced to a whisper. His weight sagged into Megatron's arm, first a little and then all at once. Shapely wings dropped down his back. Despite his heightened state, his body slackened and released. Finally permitting himself to fully surrender, to do nothing but feel. A captive audience to his own experience. An experience dictated by Megatron.

"That's it," praised Megatron darkly. "Excellent."

A tremor ran through Starscream, but he managed to remain somewhat free of tension. "M-megatron. Slagging _Pit_...just...please..."

Megatron picked up the pace, fragging Starscream’s spike and valve in tandem. Hand wrapped loose and moving fast. Hips pounding hard. He took him past the edge, to where charge levels tipped and sparks constricted and flared.

And when Starscream convulsed, he came with a sound that was so earnest, so satisfied, that it broke him open. Exposed him. Stripped him of his armor until he was in keening shambles in Megatron's arms.

Megatron sucked in a breath through his fans as Starscream tightened rhythmically around him. He held him in place, guiding him through a powerful overload. The sight almost made Megatron's processor crash. Starscream was always so captivating like this. Freely resigned to submission. One of those rare, delicious moments where everything untrue fell away on its own, and Starscream was cemented as his.

Yet however perfect for both of them, no act of submission from Starscream could ever last very long. Gradually he grew quieter, and the currents of electricity dancing across his frame grew weaker. He trembled with the aftershocks, and only when every last twitch and whimper stopped did he settle, his face pressing into the berth with a final, gratified sigh.

Megatron released his neck. He pulled his other hand from Starscream's spike, his fingers wet and sticky. The whole area around them was wet and sticky, both their thighs and spots on the berth. Rubbing at the hinges between Starscream's wings, he said, "Good?"

"Oh yeah," said Starscream. He was always so agreeable after an overload. It wouldn't last, but it was a moment to be enjoyed regardless.

"I think it was good for all of us," said Skywarp. He was lounging against Thundercracker, the two of them idly stroking each other's frames while they watched the show. Skywarp had a huge grin on his face.

Megatron tried to convey _and *that's* how you take control, Thundercracker_ with a simple smirk. But he kept most of his attention on Starscream, brushing at his frame and enjoying the ripples of their combined fields. "And where does this leave us now?"

Starscream undulated his hips, squeezing around Megatron's still pressurized equipment. "Keep going," he urged

The sensors in Megatron’s spike were fully charged. Every inch of Starscream's body was taut and exquisite. It wouldn't take much longer. But as tempting as it was to chase release inside of Starscream, he’d brought them all this far as a group. The finale should be a group effort as well.

Megatron extricated himself from Starscream and moved onto the berth. Propping against the wall, he sank comfortably into the padding and stretched out. His spike stood stiff like a monument, still glistening with Starscream's fluids.

Three sets of inquisitive optics looked at each other, then at him.

Megatron snapped his fingers and pointed to his crotch.

Skywarp got there first, and only because he warped across the berth. Thundercracker and Starscream were seconds behind. Together, the three of them descended on Megatron’s spike like it was the last drop of energon in the known universe. Three tongues began at the base, licked in tandem to the tip, and then made their way back down.

Their motions were a delightful mixture of heat and pressure. Megatron clenched his jaw. _Yes._ The visual spectacle enhanced the whole experience. Three gorgeous jets worshipping him with the same group precision with which they executed their flight patterns. Wordlessly, they switched between different rhythms. One would lick up while the other licked downwards. Starscream sucked around the head while Skywarp lapped at the base. Every so often two would break off to messily kiss each other, only to return seconds later like they couldn't get enough.

Megatron's engine rumbled. Jolts of luscious pressure raced from spike tip to spark. His fans were _screaming_. He was getting close, freely bestowing upon them the knowledge of how they were affecting him. Encouraging them with deep grunts and touches to their helms.

When his legs started to quiver, when his interface array felt tight, when the buzz started to crest, he grabbed Thundercracker and crushed him to his side. "You want to watch your leader overload? Hmm? Do you want to watch me come, Thundercracker?"

Thundercracker's optics blazed. "Yeah," he said breathlessly.

"Then help me." Megatron steered Thundercracker's hand to his spike, and then covered it with his own. He let Thundercracker set the pace, although the coiling pleasure and their rapt attention soon imparted a sense of urgency. "Faster,” he growled.

Thundercracker sped up, his face a mask of concentration.

Megatron's vents heaved. Every servo in his body hissed. He was going to overload. He was going to overload and they were going to watch.

And love it.

"Oh my God yes," whispered Skywarp.

Starscream hovered at the tip of Megatron's spike and opened his mouth. He slid his tongue out. An obvious invitation.

That was the end. Ecstasy roared through Megatron's systems in a ferocious overload. Waves of intense bliss wracked his frame. Notes of electric sensation made his spark spasm. He erupted, spurting transfluid all over Starscream's face.

It seemed endless, the powerful release that locked his joints and overwhelmed his input centers. Megatron withered and groaned. The three jets crowded closely to him, fans panting and fingers grasping. Fixated on his pleasure. Every grunt and squeeze made them whimper, as though they were coming with him.

The descent was slow and tricky. A gradual lessening of neural signals punctuated with the occasional, delicious body contraction. As Megatron had brought them up, so he brought them all down too. Eventually he dropped his hand with a contented grunt. His body relaxed and sagged. The Seekers sank with him, and they all melted into the berth as one.

Thundercracker released him but remained glued to his side. Skywarp was nestled across his front. Starscream had straddled his left thigh. Ribbons of transfluid crisscrossed his face, one dripping down the hot metal of his cheek.

In Megatron's opinion, he'd never looked better.

Starscream wiped ineffectually at his face. "You missed my mouth, you rusted old fool.”

"I wasn't aiming for it," said Megatron with a laugh. He nudged Skywarp. "Clean him."

The contents of Starscream's subspace never failed to amuse Megatron. While most mechs kept a collection of treats or useful items in their transwarp pockets, Starscream kept cleaning supplies and mirrors. Megatron had always chalked it up to his laughable vanity, but maybe it was a Seeker thing as Skywarp was apparently no different. He had a pristine polishing cloth in his hand in an instant, which he used to fastidiously wipe off Starscream's face. He folded it and used the unsullied side to clean Thundercracker's hand, and then Megatron's. Task completed, he flopped across Megatron's front like he belonged there.

Starscream followed suit, cuddling up to Megatron's left side.

Megatron pulled him closer. This was ideal, the three of them sated and obedient and curled around him like he owned them. He could get used to being at the bottom of an acquiescent Seeker pile. Domination achieved. Mission accomplished.

As much as he didn't want to risk disrupting the peace, he had to acknowledge that this wasn't quite the original mission. Truthfully, he couldn't give a slag at the moment what they did to Gigatron. But letting it go would send the message that he could be distracted with fragging, and that was one message he didn't want Starscream to get. Laying a hand on Starscream's shoulder he said, "Gigatron?"

Starscream snickered. "Oh. That. Yeah. We glitter bombed him."

Megatron frowned. The triumph of Starscream confessing so quickly was overshadowed by confusion. "You what?"

"We rigged a spring-loaded tube to spray glitter all over him when he opened it," said Skywarp. "We added adhesive to it too! So it would stick better."

"That is the most immature thing I've ever heard,” said Megatron. “Why would you do this?"

Starscream traced a finger along the Decepticon symbol on Megatron's chest. "He deserved it. He was constantly mocking us and being a general aft."

"And he's really, _really_ annoying," added Skywarp.

Megatron carefully schooled his features, hoping to project disapproval. Secretly though, he couldn't disagree. Gigatron _was_ incredibly annoying. "It hasn't washed off yet and he's furious."

"How unfortunate!" cackled Starscream. "He should consider himself lucky that we didn't have time to move on to phase two."

_There's a phase two,_ thought Megatron. _Why would I expect anything less?_ He remained silent, knowing that he wouldn't have to ask in words to get them to reveal the rest of their absurd plan.

"Yeah," said Skywarp. "We were gonna get everyone to call him Giggletron."

Megatron beheld his three top Seekers. One impish, one grinning, and one sporting a badly concealed look of long-suffering amusement. "I fail to understand how phase two of this nonsensical scheme relates to phase one."

The statement sent the three of them into a flurry of whining turbines, each trying to speak over the others.

"That's what _I_ said!” cried Thundercracker.

Starscream laughed harder. "It doesn't. It totally doesn't."

"No no no!" Skywarp said. "It totally does. It would be the coup de grâce to his dignity!"

Everyone suddenly went silent. Thundercracker picked up his head to stare at Skywarp. A flicker of surprise interrupted the steady cycling of Starscream's engines.

Megatron was surprised too. He cradled Skywarp's chin in his hand, running his thumb along the Seeker's bottom lip. "There's a phrase I don't often hear you use. Where did you learn that?"

All humor vanished from Skywarp's face. In its place was the mech that Megatron had first seen years ago. Someone proud but hurting. Ready to fight back. "I learned it from you. From reading your writings." The confession granted him a measure of embarrassed audacity, and he pulled his head out of Megatron's reach. "I'm _not_ an idiot, you know."

There was a twitch of wings, and an inscrutable glance shared between the three of them. Once again Megatron had the distinct feeling that they had communicated with each other on a level that he couldn't follow. Some combination of body language and ultrasonic frequencies. Too fast to decode, too private to understand.

That was unacceptable. He'd have to order Soundwave to surreptitiously study their means of communication. Starscream having a private link to those closest to him was a liability the Decepticons couldn't afford. Until then, he’d have to exert his authority the old fashioned way.

"Your plan itself is one for idiots," scoffed Megatron. "It would have made far more sense to call him Glittertron. At least that would have lent some continuity between your stupid phases." The second the words were out of his mouth, he experienced a monumental regret. Giving them ideas was always a huge mistake.

There were only a few moments of shocked silence before the inevitable raucous reactions. Thundercracker covered his face with his palms. "Lord Megatron, please don't encourage them."

"Glittertron!” shrieked Starscream. “That's perfect!"

Skywarp whacked Starscream on the leg. "We should have _him_ come up with the nicknames. He's good with words."

"Absolutely not," said Megatron. "No more nicknames."

"What about Gigs? You know, kinda like Megs," said Skywarp. To which he hastily added, "Which nobody calls you, by the way. Especially not us."

"No," growled Megatron.

"What about Gigsy?" asked Starscream.

Megatron glared at him. "No."

"What about Gigsy Gigalo?" said Skywarp. He somehow managed to propose the ludicrous name with a straight face.

"No," said Megatron, his voice full of as much furious menace as he could muster. He shot out his hand and curled his fingers around Skywarp's neck cabling, hauling him forward. "This stops today. No more pranks. No more nicknames. No more tormenting Gigatron."

Skywarp’s vocalizer spat static. He nodded frantically.

Megatron relaxed his grip. "What was that? I know it couldn't have been anything other than a 'yes, Lord Megatron'."

"Yes, Lord Megatron," wheezed Skywarp.

Megatron released him and pointed to Thundercracker. "And you. You need to stop doubting everything and assert yourself better. I'm counting on you to curtail their tendencies towards disobedience."

"Yes, Lord Megatron," said Thundercracker. His tone trailed off into something dangerously close to petulant.

Megatron let it go. Truly, he didn't expect Thundercracker to be an effective voice of reason any more than he expected Skywarp to stop pulling pranks. Besides, the two of them were ultimately subservient to a mech far more skilled in the art of manipulation. Megatron looped an arm around Starscream’s waist and pulled him close. "Desist in your harassment of Gigatron. That's an order."

No face in the Decepticon army, possibly in the entire Cybertronian race, was more complicated and expressive than Starscream's. His smile transformed. A flash of teeth. Innocent to poisonous. "Yes, Lord Megatron," he said evenly.

His tone could have meant _yes it's not worth it to continue_ , or _yes for now_. It didn't matter. Their struggle for power would adapt and continue. The end result would always be the same.

Megatron shifted, letting them rearrange themselves until they were comfortable. Skywarp draped on top of him. Thundercracker burrowed closer and hooked one leg around Skywarp. Starscream arched up and placed a deceptively soft kiss to Megatron's lips, one that lingered a little too long, before settling back down and nestling his head under Megatron's chin.

A shiver ran through Megatron’s frame. In all the years of their back and forth relationship, they’d never kissed in front of anyone else. Yet Starscream had just done it, casually and tenderly. In full view of Thundercracker and Skywarp.

He was up to something. Megatron knew it. Apparently, regardless of who won today’s battle, Starscream would remain a problem.

Megatron wouldn't have it any other way.

 

 

The End


End file.
